A FISH POND TO BUILD A DREAM ON

Daniel Powers with his new pond.
Joyce Roberts photo HOLDEN — This is the story of an avid young fisherman, whose dearest wish in life was to have a fishing hole that was as near as his own backyard.

It’s also the story of the people who made it possible.

Daniel Powers got his pond thanks to the Make a Wish of Massachusetts/Rhode Island, an organization that fulfills wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Nine-year-old Daniel is battling the recurrence of a benign brain tumor that was diagnosed when he was five.

After two surgeries and four tumorfree years, Dan was back at the Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana Farber Hospital in April when an annual MRI revealed the tumor had started to grow again.

He was with his mom in his hospital room, when a Make a Wish worker dropped by to tell Daniel about the program.

Take a trip, meet a celebrity, the sky’s the limit, she explained.

“The last thing she said before she left the room was ‘Think big!’ ” Dan’s mom, Christi Powers, said. “Then he turned to me and said, ‘Mom, do you think I could get a fish pond?’ ”

After giving it some thought, Christi realized the wish made sense.

“He’s always loved the water, even as a baby. And he loves fishing, especially saltwater fishing on the Cape,” she said.

Besides sharing ownership of an aquarium with older brother Brian, Daniel is also a regular angler at Dawson Pond.

“I like fish a lot,” he said.

Holden has two Make a Wish granters, residents Donna and Kevin Stone, and they got right on the project. This wish was especially near to their hearts because they are not only friends of the Powers family, they are former Make a Wish parents themselves.

Their oldest daughter, Kaitlyn, died in 2005 from a rare cancer when she was just seven years old. Make a Wish sent the family on a wonderful trip to Disney World during Kaitlyn’s last summer, Kevin Stone said.

“They were very, very generous,” he said.

Stone was surprised by Daniel’s request, which he said was probably the most modest one he has received.

“I had one teenager who wanted to meet his favorite band, someone who wanted to go to Hawaii and another one who wants to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove,” he said.

Besides the fun of receiving their wish, kids going through an illness enjoy the diversion of planning for their big event.

“It gives them something else to think about,” Stone said. “It’s also good for siblings because they go through a lot, too.”

Stone recalled the many times he had been fishing with Daniel and his dad Matthew, then decided he wouldn’t try to coax the youngster into something more elaborate.

He contacted Mark Packard of Sterling Greenery, who installed a koi pond using 14,000 pounds of natural stone. There’s also a waterfall that keeps the water aerated for the fish.

Though Make a Wish pays for all expenses, Packard donated his labor, Stone said.

The pond is beautiful to look at, and the waterfall makes a happy splash that somehow both soothes and suggests adventure. Daniel can see and hear it from his bedroom, his mom said.

He has also customized the pond. Rather than stocking it with the usual koi, Daniel had his heart set on native fish. He caught half a dozen blue gills and a sunfish in Dawson Pond, and rushed them home in a bucket. They seem to be taking to their new home.

The morning after the pond was installed, Daniel was up with the sunrise. He removed the hook from his fishing line and tied a Cheerio to the end. With a red and white plastic bobber keeping the bit of cereal at the right level, Daniel held his rod over the pond and watched as his fish swam up to nibble their breakfast.